Who should attend: Those who support board, council, and committee meetings including government officials and administrators, those who:

prepare agendas for open and closed meetings

prepare scripts for chairs

prepare motions and resolutions

take minutes

are looking to improve productivity at meetings that they organize or simply attend

Learning levels: All levels.

This workshop will provide administrative staff with techniques on how to support meetings effectively and to manage the meeting process in a systematic and thorough fashion. By working through a meeting from start to finish, you will learn the foundations of what makes a meeting successful before, during, and after the meeting. As a result, you will be able to identify how your meetings can be improved and how the group can make better decisions.

At this workshop you will:

understand how the roles, duties, and pre-meeting preparation set the foundation for a successful meeting

capture the essence of a meeting through improved minute taking techniques

assist the chair and the members in carrying out their roles in the meeting process in a practical and productive manner

gain knowledge about how privacy legislation can impact your meetings

Law Society of BC CPD Hours: Attendance to this course cannot be used toward continuing professional development hours.

Course InstructorLisa M. Zwarn (Curry), PRP — Surrey

Save even more with your CPDone Pass. Registration includes an electronic and print copy of the workshop materials.Lunch is on your own.

Pricing

EARLY BIRDRegister by Jan 4

Regular PriceAfter Jan 4

Webinar

$569

$629

Webinar Articled Student

$279

$309

In Person

$629

$699

In Person Articled Student

$309

$349

SPECIAL GROUP RATES! Plus-one pricing. Gather a few colleagues around a computer to SAVE on Webinar/Rebroadcast costs! Groups pay full price for the main registrant + $179 per day for each additional viewer. * Contact Customer Service for more info.

*If your group includes an articled student, the first registration must be at the full rate if a lawyer is participating.

About the Course InstructorLisa Zwarn (Curry), PRP has worked in the local government sector for over 21 years as an employee, a consultant, and an instructor. Lisa has a Juris Doctor from the University of Victoria and a BA (Honours) in Romance Languages from UBC. Lisa was admitted to the BC Bar in 1993. She graduated from Capilano's Local Government Professional Certificate program in 1998 and was awarded the Intermediate Certificate for Local Government Administration in 2005.

Lisa is an instructor at Capilano University. She was also the director of Legislative Services and Human Resources (formerly titled as City Clerk) for the City of Langley. Previously, Lisa was the Administrative Manager in the Community Development Department in the City of North Vancouver, a consultant with Urban Systems Ltd., and a Senior Bylaw Enforcement Officer with the City of Surrey.

Lisa has been actively involved in the education of local government officials on a variety of topics for various governmental organizations around the province, and is also accredited as a Professional Registered Parliamentarian (PRP) with the National Association of Parliamentarians.

I have known Lisa Zwarn as a respected, professional colleague for several years. However, I had not seen her in action as an instructor until I attended a course she taught on freedom for information and protection of privacy, and on how to balance the requirement for public transparency with the need to manage organizational risk.

With Lisa being a lawyer and a former municipal clerk, I knew she was very well qualified to teach that course. However, what I received from her far exceeded my expectations. Yes, she displayed comprehensive expertise in her fields of knowledge, she was very well organized, she was thoughtful and though-provoking, and she addressed the topics at hand to my full satisfaction and more. But beyond these basics, Lisa achieved much more. She delivered potentially dry and uninspiring material in a very interesting, lively, and engaging manner. She involved us effectively in case studies and very interesting scenarios, to test how much of the material we were retaining. At no time during the full day session did she lose my attention and interest. Before I knew it, the course was over, which left me asking: How did it end so quickly? At no point was I tempted to engage in responding to emails and text messages.

In my view, Lisa is not only a true professional, but is also an effective and very engaging instructor.

- Eli Mina, Meeting Mentor & Registered Parliamentarian

Foundation for Successful Meetings

Roles and Duties

roles of participants in the meeting

duties of the chair

duties of participants

duties of the recording secretary

Meeting Administration

elements of a properly convenened meeting

types of meetings

group discussion guidelines

Responsibilities Before the Meeting

logistics

notice

agenda — coding, prioritizing, organization

reports — content, options, motions

scripts

paperless meetings

pointers

Capturing the Essence of a Meeting

Minute Taking

purpose

types

style

content

access by the public

Meeting Mechanics

adoption of minutes

consent agenda

how to conduct business

After the Meeting

proofing your minutes

follow up work

action items

corrections of the minutes

Helping Others to Create a Successful Meeting

Drafting Recommendations

Training Your Chair

meeting dynamics

preparing for meetings

language to use

Working with Participants

in general

doing their homework

participating in the process

Problems and Challenges

Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy ("FOI") Impacts on Meetings